Good evening all! Members of Sisters in Crime – Central Jersey will hold a writers’ event this Saturday at the Old Bridge Public Library, Old Bridge, NJ:

Sisters in Crime Mystery Women’s Writers Group

Good morning everybody.

This is just a quick post to inform readers and writers in the vicinity of Central New Jersey about the open mic/fundraiser, which will be held at the Sisters in Crime – Central Jersey meeting tomorrow at the Jamesburg Senior Center, Jamesburg, NJ. (See above)

I will be reading an approximately five minute except from one the Jersey Girl books (haven’t decided which one yet, but I’d like it to be a body-discovery scene). There will be plenty of talented fellow sisters and misters reading excerpts from their own work as well.

The address is 139 Stevens Avenue, Jamesburg, NJ 08831. If you happen to be in the area, please stop by. I’d love to meet you in person!

Have a great day.

                      

 

Happy Sunday readers and writers! I finally have news to share about the Jersey Girl Cozy Mysteries. Crossroad Press, specializing in the digital publishing of back lists, will be reissuing New Math is Murder, Hide nor Hair and Another Man’s Poison, which means Crossroad will be my new publisher. The books will be available again electronically, as well as in print and, if I’m reading the contract correctly, in an audio version. There is also a chance they will consider publishing a fourth book in the series – which thrills me. I would love to write more about Colleen, Ken and the entire gang. I’ll post as soon as the books become available for sale once again.

   

As for Recurring, there’s no news as yet. I did manage to get into New Brunswick to take some shots of the vicinity where the book’s protagonist, Elaine Masters, is nearly murdered while fleeing an assailant. I loved being there in person to see exactly what’s going on in her mind as she desperately tries to outrun the guy who is out for her blood. The shot is of tiny Monument Square Park – offering no place to hunker down and hide in the dark!

Other writing non-news, I’m still working on and reworking other projects. Hopefully something good will come to light with those, too!

Enjoy this beautiful weather and read something wonderful outside in the gorgeous summer sun!

 

 

 

The American Cemetery in Normandy, France

Hello fellow readers and writers. I hope you’re having a great weekend. The above image was taken by me! I thought it fitting to post the solemn picture on this Memorial Day.

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to reading (especially over this long holiday weekend). The weather is perfect for lounging under the sun with an exciting book open across your lap – unless you’ve slathered yourself with tanning lotion or sunblock. Tip: put a towel across your legs so the book cover doesn’t get greasy. I say “book” because outdoors in the bright light, the print on e-readers is difficult to see. I’ve tried it and it doesn’t work well.

So, what are you reading? A beach book that’s quick, fun and perfect for relaxing? Something deep or inspirational? Something that might scare the flip-flops off of you? Let me know if you care to  comment.

Book released April 9, 2019

I’m revisiting the Jack the Ripper and Black Dahlia murders. What better way to relax, right? Over the years, I’ve amassed quite a few books on these two subjects. After skimming through them for the hundredth time, I think I have it all figured out, until I pick up the next set of books and change my mind as to the killers’ identities.

This book’s release date will be in June, 2019. You can bet I’ll be ordering it!

I also watch every new theory pertaining to these murders on TV, hopeful that someone will prove beyond a doubt that so-and-so did the heinous deeds in Whitechapel, or that George Knowlton, George Hodel (interesting that both men are named George) or some other depraved psycho savaged Elizabeth Short in Los Angeles. So far, no dice.

As for me and my writing, things are going painfully slow – as usual. The thing is, slow is not unusual for a writer. And as I explained ad nauseam, the waiting game takes forever (or seems to take that long). I have work out there for consideration to both agents and editors. Time will tell. I’ll post, as well as shout it from the rooftop, if I hear anything regarding publication.

Have a wonderful day AND KEEP READING!

 

 

 

 

 

Wishing all a Happy Easter!

I haven’t posted in a bit because there’s been no news to share. However . . . I did finally manage to submit a short story to Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and so far, so good. It’s a waiting game now to see if they’ll agree to publish my tongue-in-cheek murder plot entitled Slow-Cooked. If you’re thinking “what a bizarre name for a short story,” you’re absolutely right. Think about it for a moment. Now do you fully understand what I sick mind I have?

I’ve also entered the fun Werble Flomp contest – an annual event for those of us who love truly awful and/or sarcastic poetry. I don’t expect to win and didn’t enter to win either. I just needed to submit something somewhere, and know I that could still make a last-minute deadline like I used to do in my stringer days! I came up with a twisted little ditty – Ode to the 737 Max. It’s both awful and sarcastic! I promise to share this sicko-rhyme as soon as I find out I’m not a winner. If by the slightest chance the poem places somewhere in the winning sphere, I’ll furnish a link for all to read.

Meanwhile, my first book in the Boardwalk Psychic Series — The Body on the Boardwalk (working title) is coming along – slowly! Man, I’m such a ditz. I haven’t even decided on the killer yet!  As for Recurring, haven’t heard a peep from any agents. Do publishers suddenly hate thrillers with twist endings?

So have a wonderful weekend. Don’t eat too much chocolate and lay off those colored eggs!

Image by LMoonlight on Pixabay

 

Has it really been more than two months since my last post here? Time flies, but not really. Lately, it kind of drags. So much is happening in some areas of my writing life, while not so much in other areas.

I’m writing, working on new and exciting projects, going to critiques and conferences, and attending writers’ groups. It takes time, energy, and dedication. The search for an agent and a new publisher goes achingly slow. This is the most discouraging part of being an author (at least, for me).

Trying to create a social media presence is also a pain. I’m not a bragger by nature. There’s something inside me that keeps me from sharing the usual “hey, look at me” crap so many in my field use to stir up interest in their work. I don’t blame them. Actually, I admire them for being able to do that. It would probably help to have a grandiose Facebook page with tons of followers and a billion likes, but most authors’ posts have nothing at all to do with writing – even their own. I can’t see the relevance of sharing an author’s latest bowel movement just to have something to post every day. This explains why I have a Facebook page I don’t know how to use, or care to use, and why the only thing I really know how to do is click on that little “thumbs up” thing when I like something someone else has posted – generally pics of dogs and cats, or a really cute joke. I suppose I’ll have to figure it all out. Hopefully I’ll have plenty of legitimate writing posts to share with my multitude of Facebook followers – six in all!

Recurring is still making the rounds, ditto for finding a publisher to reissue the Jersey Girl series. Agents take up to six months to get back to you (yeah, I’ve mentioned this before. I’m repeating myself).

Sigh!

New projects are faring better. My short story, Slow-Cooked, is almost done but needs a bigger punch for the ending. I’m working on it. The critique group got a kick out of what exists of the story so far. The Boardwalk Psychic books are coming along nicely. Hopefully the first will be complete soon and I can shop it around as a series – which takes time. Dear God, I’m repeating myself again!

On a more mundane note, it’s going to snow again here in New Jersey. Garden State, my ass! I’m sick to death of seeing white. Did someone misplace spring? Where are those lovely yellow forsythias I’ve been waiting all year to see?

Have a wonderful day and please feel free to comment. It lets me know someone is actually reading my posts.

 

 

It’s been a while since I last posted. If you believe the old adage that no news is good news, there’s this bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you. So far two literary agents have passed on Recurring. I think I know why. I have to rework the beginning of the book, which I can now see reads far too passively and doesn’t match the intensity level I have created throughout the rest of the manuscript. Second, I can’t write a decent query letter and/or synopsis to save my life.

There are different approaches when attempting to condense a book into one or two pages. I always take the high road and give the agent the crux of the story – in addition to revealing the ending. No surprises. I pull no punches. She or he knows exactly where the tale is taking her/him, and is better able to judge whether or not they are interested enough to see the entire manuscript. In my mind, it’s only fair. From all the advice I’ve gotten from fellow writers and through conducting extensive internet research, I’ve learned this is exactly the WRONG way to go if you’re seeking an agent. You have to keep them wanting more. You also have to whet their literary appetites enough to request the rest of the book. Logically, it doesn’t make sense to me. But humans are funny animals and I guess building up the suspense and leaving an agent hanging, or maybe (hopefully) even begging for more, makes a whole lot of sense.

Okay. I’ll play the fr*****g game. I don’t care much for it, but I’ll play.

I’m still mapping out the Boardwalk Psychic series, and those will be fun reads, but not as light and humorous as the Jersey Girl cozies. Actually, these books are more on the serious side, despite my protagonist’s occupation, which most people consider to be a complete scam. Hey, at least I’m writing!

If anyone is looking for a great non-fiction read over the holidays, I suggest you give Educated: A Memoir a try. I read it in one day. Now whenever I’m tempted to blame my parents for screwing up my youth, I thank God I had Marie and Joe Lamon to raise me, rather than author Tara Westover’s parents. I guess we all have to overcome our childhoods, don’t we?

Have a great Christmas all!

AND READ SOMETHING

ME

Five Sisters-in-Crime writers spent an amazing day at the Pop-Up Shop event held inside the Monroe Library today. Eileen Watkins, Roberta Rogow, Daria Ludas, Nicki Montaperto, and yours truly, sold our books and spoke to readers and several would-be writers. It’s remarkable how talking writing can bring out the best in people. I heard life stories, dreams, and aspirations of those wishing to write, but lack the confidence to take that very first step and begin the process.

Eileen Watkins, Nicki Montaperto, Daria Ludas, and Roberta Rogow (front)

I also learned something that surprised me – I’m not as technologically-stupid as I had previously thought. Can you imagine? I actually knew how to transfer and download pictures from phones and cameras, and explained the process to a fellow writer. I also created (with the help of my daughter-in-law and WordPress) and maintain my own website. One writer has a website and she’s lost when it comes to posting – even though she had hired someone to design the site for her. I gave some suggestions (like, who am I to suggest this stuff to anyone?), but I found I actually knew what I was talking about! Okay, I’m no computer genius, but I almost feel like a tech-guru because I kinda get it.

Anyway, I had a successful book-sales day and loved talking writing, as always, to anyone who would listen.

No word on Recurring yet, but I haven’t really been sending out queries either. Hopefully more about that next week.

Enjoy the long weekend everybody. Stay warm if you’re in cold, blustery Jersey!

Good evening everyone! This is just a brief post to inform Jersey readers (and those in nearby states) that I’ll be at the Monroe Township Library on Saturday, November 10, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. for a Pop Up Shop. The shop will include several members of Sisters in Crime, and we will all be peddling our wares, ummm, I mean selling our books at the event. Join us if you’re in the area.

On a personal note, I went to an exclusive spa over the weekend for a complete head-to-toe makeover. Cost me a fortune, but I think it was well-worth the money:

    

 

 

 

BEFORE                                     AFTER

Let me know what you think! Have a great night all of you readers!

 

Old Bridge, NJ

Hello readers and writers. It’s been a while. As this is the official fall color season, I’m posting a few pics of the semi-local trees changing. They’re gorgeous this year.

Thompson Park – Monroe Township, NJ

Onto writing, or rather the search for an agent. I’ve sent Recurring to two thus far, and have heard not so much as a peep from either of them. This is probably the most discouraging part of getting a book published. Good representation is key to placing a manuscript with the right publisher. Unfortunately, almost every agent I’ve researched list in their guidelines that they might take anywhere from two weeks to two months to let you know if they decide to request the full manuscript – and if you don’t hear from them you can assume they are not interested. Oh, as an added bonus, they would rather you didn’t query more than one agent at a time. This has always annoyed me, as a poor writer could be left hanging for months, hoping and praying, all for naught. One sap I know has been waiting for six months to hear back from an agent! He absolutely refuses to send his book elsewhere until he hears from the literary agency where he originally sent his manuscript. It seems we writers are the bottom of the barrel in the publishing world. I know agents have their pick, but at least let an author know one way or another.

So I’m playing the waiting game, but I do have other news. Yeah, it’s equally unpleasant.

The publisher of my Jersey Girl cozies, PageSpring Publishing, is officially closing up shop in December. This means the books (both paperback and electronically) will no longer be available for sale after November 30^th. If you’ve skipped one of the books in the series, order it from Amazon or Barnes and Noble this month or you may never be able to read it. The links below will lead you to all the Jersey Girl books:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Jo-Ann+Lamon+Reccoppa

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Jo%20Ann%20Lamon%20Reccoppa

The only good news is that PageSpring is being kind enough to gift their files to all the authors in their writers’ stable come December. This means I can go to a different publisher who will re-issue the series with a new ISBN, and who perhaps will request additional books for the series. We’ll see how that goes. The first step is to contact various publishers to see if they’re interested, or even find an agent (sigh) to see if they’ll consider representing the series.

Meanwhile, I’m diligently working on my Boardwalk Psychic series and as always, hoping for the best. Who knows? Maybe this is the incentive I needed to kick my output up a notch or two.

South Brunswick, NJ

Have a great night and wonderful weekend everybody! Get out and enjoy the beautiful fall colors.